Biology: Concepts and Investigations 2nd Edition by Mariëlle Hoefnagels

Exercise 41

A young child develops a very high fever and an extremely painful sore throat. Knowing that the child could have an infection with a strain of Streptococcus that could be deadly, the physician seeks a precise diagnosis. What three approaches might the doctor (or a laboratory) use to tell whether this infection is viral or bacterial and, if the latter, to identify the bacterium?